LA County Supervisors ratify plan to run King Hospital with University of California

by Cheryl Devall

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The coast is clear for the University of California and Los Angeles County to reopen King Hospital in Willowbrook. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has ratified an agreement with the university system.

The pact evolved over many months, as L.A. County courted potential partners to revive the former Martin Luther King-Charles Drew Medical Center. That facility closed two-and-a-half years ago after failed inspections underscored a decades-long record of shoddy patient care and mismanagement.

King continues to operate an urgent care clinic on the grounds of the former hospital. A $100 million pledge from a wealthy donor will help launch its new life as a full-service, 120-bed hospital.

So will the University of California’s willingness to supply medical personnel. The UC Board of Regents voted last month to enter the partnership with Los Angeles County – the two parties will collaborate on the new hospital’s governing board. L.A. supervisors say they hope to open the revived King Hospital in three years.